1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of fasteners, particularly in the marine and construction industries, including screws, such as those used to construct boat hulls, bolts, such as concrete anchor bolts, and including rivets, nails and pins. More specifically the present invention relates to a sealable fastener including a fastener shank having shank first and second ends with shank first and second end walls, a longitudinal shank side wall and a continuous, fully circumferential channel recessed into the shank side wall, and including a sealant delivery passageway having a passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending both longitudinally and laterally to a passageway exit port opening into the circumferential channel. The sealant delivery passageway may be a bore in the shank extending substantially coaxially with or substantially parallel to the shank longitudinal axis, or may be a combination of fastener head bore through the fastener head and a groove in the shank side wall extending substantially parallel to the shank longitudinal axis. When the fastener is to be used, the fastener shank is inserted into a fastener bore in a receiving structure such as a boat hull or a nut, and then a flowable sealant is injected into the entry port so that the sealant flows through the sealant delivery passageway and exits through the exit port and flows into and around the circumferential channel, creating a circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the receiving structure so that water or other liquid cannot flow around the fastener shank and through the receiving structure. Several circumferential channels interconnected by segments of the sealant delivery passageway may be provided on a fastener for further enhanced sealing. This sealable fastener is intended primarily for the marine and construction industries, but many other home and industrial applications are contemplated.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been fasteners having fastener shanks for extending through and interconnecting multiple discrete fastener receiving structures. These prior fasteners have included bolts, screws, rivets, pins and nails. A problem with these prior fasteners has been that no truly effective means has been provided for creating a seal between the shank of the fastener and the surrounding receiving structure to reliably prevent liquid from flowing along the shank from one side of the receiving structure to the other. This problem is particularly noteworthy in the marine industry and is probably the most common cause of leakage in boat hulls, and is also noteworthy in the construction industry in leakage at roof fasteners and in concrete anchor bolts and in industry in general such as in flange bolts at high pressure pipe joints and on vacuum vessels.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a fastener which includes a shank for passing through a receiving structure including means for reliably delivering flowable sealant circumferentially around the shank, preferably into a circumferential channel, creating a circumferential seal between the shank and the receiving structure, thereby preventing flow of liquid along the shank and through the receiving structure.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a fastener which may take any conventional form, such as a bolt, screw, rivet, pin or nail.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a fastener which is inserted into a receiving structure in the same way and with the same tool or tools used to insert an otherwise similar fastener, and through which a flowable sealant can be rapidly, easily and reliably delivered.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a fastener which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and to install in a receiving structure.
The present invention accomplishes the above-stated objectives, as well as others, as may be determined by a fair reading and interpretation of the entire specification.
A sealable fastener is provided for insertion into a fastener opening in a receiving structure, the sealable fastener including a fastener shank having a shank first end with a shank first end wall and a shank second end with a shank second end wall, a shank side wall extending between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall, the shank first end additionally including a fastener head, and the fastener head including the shank first end wall; a circumferential channel in the shank side wall adjacent to the fastener head; and a sealant delivery passageway including a passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending through the fastener head and opening through a passageway exit port into the circumferential channel; so that flowable sealant injected into the passageway entry port flows through the sealant delivery passageway, out of the passageway exit port and into and around the circumferential channel, creating a circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure. The sealant delivery passageway optionally includes a bore in the fastener head. The sealant delivery passageway alternatively includes a notch in the fastener head.
A sealable fastener and fastener receiving structure is also provided, including a fastener receiving structure having a fastener opening for receiving a fastener; a fastener shank having a shank first end with a shank first end wall and a shank second end with a shank second end wall, a shank side wall extending between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall, the shank first end additionally including a fastener head, and the fastener head including the shank first end wall; a circumferential channel in the shank side wall adjacent to the fastener head; and a sealant delivery passageway including a passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending through the fastener head and opening through a passageway exit port into the circumferential channel; so that flowable sealant injected into the passageway entry port flows through the sealant delivery passageway, out of the passageway exit port and into and around the circumferential channel, creating a circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure. The sealant delivery passageway optionally includes a bore in the fastener head.
A sealable fastener is further provided for insertion into a fastener opening in a receiving structure, the sealable fastener including a fastener shank having a shank first end with a shank first end wall and a shank second end with a shank second end wall, a shank side wall extending between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall, the shank first end additionally including a fastener head, the fastener head including the shank first end wall; a first circumferential channel in the shank side wall adjacent to the fastener head; a second circumferential channel in the shank side wall between the first circumferential channel and the shank second end wall; a first sealant delivery passageway including a passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending through the fastener head and opening out of a passageway exit port into the first circumferential channel; and a second sealant delivery passageway including a groove in the shank side wall extending from the first circumferential channel to the second circumferential channel; so that flowable sealant injected into the delivery passageway flows through the first sealant delivery passageway into and around the first circumferential channel, creating a first circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure, and the flowable sealant flows from the first circumferential channel through the second sealant delivery passageway and flows into and around the second circumferential channel, creating a second circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure. The sealant delivery passageway optionally includes a notch in the fastener head. The first sealant delivery passageway alternatively includes a bore in the fastener head.
A sealable fastener is still further provided for insertion into a fastener opening in a receiving structure, the sealable fastener including a fastener shank having a shank first end with a shank first end wall and a shank second end with a shank second end wall, a shank side wall extending between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall, the shank first end additionally including a fastener head, the fastener head including the shank first end wall; a first circumferential channel in the shank side wall adjacent to the fastener head; a second circumferential channel in the shank side wall between the first circumferential channel and the shank second end wall; a first sealant delivery passageway including a first passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending through the fastener head and opening out of a first passageway exit port into the first circumferential channel and out of a second passageway exit port into the second circumferential channel; so that flowable sealant injected into the first passageway entry port flows through the first sealant delivery passageway in the fastener head out of the first passageway exit port and into and around the first circumferential channel, creating a first circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure, and the flowable sealant flows out of the second passageway exit port into and around the second circumferential channel, creating a second circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the fastener opening in the receiving structure.
A sealable fastener is still further provided for insertion into an opening bore in a receiving structure, the sealable fastener including a fastener shank including a shank first end having a shank first end wall and a shank second end having a shank second end wall, a shank side wall extend between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall and a circumferential channel recessed into the shank side wall, and a sealant delivery passageway having a passageway entry port in the shank first end and extending to a passageway exit port opening into the circumferential channel; so that a flowable sealant is injectable into the passageway entry port, so that the sealant flows through the sealant delivery passageway and exits through the passageway exit port and flows into and around the circumferential channel, creating a circumferential seal between the fastener shank and the opening in the receiving structure. A seal confirmation passageway is preferably provided having a seal confirmation passageway entry port in the circumferential channel and extending to a seal confirmation passageway exit port in the shank first end.
The passageway entry port preferably opens into the shank first end wall and the passageway includes a passageway axial segment extending toward the shank second end wall to a point between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall, and a passageway radial segment extending from the passageway axial segment to the exit port. The fastener first end preferably includes a fastener head having a head top surface, where the head top surface is the shank first end wall, and where the passageway entry port opens into the fastener head.
The circumferential channel optionally is located substantially midway between the shank first end wall and the shank second end wall. Where the shank side wall includes fastener threads, the circumferential channel preferably is deeper than the fastener threads. The sealable fastener preferably includes several exit ports opening into the circumferential channel, the exit ports being circumferentially spaced apart along the circumferential channel for enhancing the speed and evenness of distribution of sealant into the circumferential channel.
The sealable fastener optionally includes several circumferential channels. The sealable fastener optionally includes a first circumferential channel located substantially one third of the length of the shank from the shank first end wall and a second circumferential channel located substantially two thirds of the length of the shank from the shank first end wall. The sealable fastener alternatively includes a first circumferential channel substantially at the midpoint of the shank between the shank first end wall and the second shank end wall, a second circumferential channel substantially midway between the shank first end wall and the first circumferential channel and a third circumferential channel substantially midway between the shank second end wall and the first circumferential channel. The sealable fastener is optionally one of a bolt and a rivet.